Response: Trump’s Recognition of Jerusalem is a Leap in the Wrong Direction

This article is a response to another Wessex Scene piece that can be found here.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed belong to our diverse range of talented writers, and don’t represent the views of Wessex Scene as a whole.

President Donald J. Trump is a man of many surprises. Winning the election last year, his survival as commander-in-chief and the orangeness of his face still baffles many.

However, his latest blundering attempt at playing President should come as no surprise. Trump’s disregard for non-white people, his own party and even common decency prove that he is loyal only to himself. Perhaps the only addition to this are the people who love him almost as much as he does: his enthused supporters. The vast majority of these are white, Christian and boastfully pro-Israel. The Donald has so far appealed to the worst elements in his support base; racism, sexism and an appetite for war. Trump’s declaration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, while possibly the most damaging thing he could do in the region, is a simple self-serving move. It is a great loss for anyone seeking peace in (what used to be) Palestine. But it is a great gain for Donald, it serves him well – and that’s what this President has always been. Selfish.

Earlier this week an article was published trying to justify this decision, proclaiming it a ‘step in the right direction‘. To that I say, if the direction leads to a bloodbath, then this is not true. The ‘overwhelming support’ for this decision is cited. Aside from Trump’s own support, those on the furthest right of the Republicans and Israeli lobbyists, this decision does not have much support at all. What is being referred to here, is the bill passed in 1995 promising to relocate the Israeli embassy. This law was continually postponed by successive presidents, as they all knew perfectly well, as did the international community, that this would massively destabilise the region even further.

Israel is an extremely wealthy nation, which is given $3.8 billion per year by the US in military aid, equating to $38 billion over the decade. They are one of only 9 nations with nuclear weapons. In 1948, Israel was clumsily created when the British mandate in Palestine ended. Israel was granted Palestinian land.

Palestinian loss of land since 1946..Credit: Flickr, Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Since then, Israel has pushed these borders past the breaking point through occupation, suppression and the building of illegal settlements. By doing this, Israel has committed over 30 war crimes, violating international law. Israel’s actions towards Palestinians living under their occupation I feel can only be described as a ‘slow motion genocide‘ since this has been going on for nearly 70 years. Israel has been widely criticised for these actions, yet, there has been little actual resistance from the wider international community. Yet the aforementioned article bemoaned the lack of “respect for Israel” due to international criticism. I suggest that this would be akin to a burglar, after murdering your family demanding to respect him and his claim that your home belongs to him.

This article also dismisses Hamas’ criticism of the United States,

I say why should we cower in the face of savage terrorists who threaten us, who murder innocent women and children, and who make every effort to maximise civilian casualties?

On this point and this alone I agree with this piece. This perfectly describes Israel’s actions, they have on numerous occasions bombed hospitals for example, knowing full well what the devastation it would cause. But this is written about Hamas – entirely ignoring Israel’s state-sponsored terror that is far more deadly. The last portion of this article wanders from outlandish to pure misinformation, from asserting that Saddam Hussein did in fact have weapons of mass destruction (an irrelevant and false point), to asserting that Israel is “morally righteous”. The write expresses an entirely absurd argument, and to me it gets worse the more you read.

In the wake of Trump’s announcement last Thursday, two Palestinians have already been shot dead in clashes with Israeli soldiers. The day after, Israel responded to a Palestinian rocket by bombing “militant” targets. Twenty-five were wounded, including 10 children. One of the most unstable regions in the Middle East is set to further escalate in tensions, bringing violence, hate and destruction.

Even Theresa May finally broke her unwavering support for Donald Trump, condemning his recognition. But this is not enough. May did intend to honour Donald Trump, a popular hate preacher, with a full state visit. This is an honour not afforded to many U.S. Presidents. Due to the likelihood of a mass protest, this visit would have still taken place, just scaled down. Now things are unsure. All the British can do is protest for Palestinian rights in the region, and put pressure on our government to do the right thing.

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